 knows how they feel, going 0-3 in 13 regular-season starts in Boston since his last win at home on July 11, 2018.''Going out there every fifth day and getting my (butt) kicked ... it's not fun,'' said Sale, who made the All-Star Game and finished in the top six of the Cy Young voting in each of the last seven seasons. ''I'm still working, still grinding. I'm not going to give up. It's tough going out there every day and being a liability to your team.'' Sale allowed five runs on seven hits, a walk and a hit batter while striking out seven. He gave up Turner's leadoff homer in the third that made it 2-0 and then an RBI double to start the scoring in the Dodgers' three-run fifth inning.''He's one of the best pitchers in the big leagues and this is on us - the coaching staff - to get it right,'' Boston manager Alex Cora said. ''We've got to get him the right place. We'll look hard the next four days and he'll be out there on Thursday ready to go.''We need him. We know that.'' Ross Stripling (4-3) allowed one run - Xander Bogaerts' 19th homer - on four hits, striking out seven to snap Boston's five-game winning streak. Bellinger, who turned 24 on Saturday, and A. J. Pollock hit back-to-back homers off knuckleballer Steven Wright in the seventh for the Dodgers, who lead the majors with 61 victories.The next batter, Max Muncy, lined one off Wright's foot to knock him out of the game.HOME AWAY FROM HOMEThe large and vocal Los Angeles contingent in the crowd out-cheered the Red Sox fans for much of the game. By the time Dodgers left the field after the game, almost all of the fans who had remained were rooting for the visitors and they serenaded Bellinger with an ''M-V-P!'' chant.OLD FRIENDSEx-Red Sox pitcher Joe Kelly reliever Stripling to start the sixth with a 5-1 lead and gave up a flare single to Bogaerts that brought in one run. With two on, he threw an extremely high wild pitch to put runners on second and third, then worked a full count to Christian Vazquez.Vazquez fouled off a pair of pitches before fanning on a 99 mph fastball to end the inning.CATCHING FLAKWith Sale pitching to his regular catcher Sandy Leon, Cora put Vazquez at first base to keep his bat in the lineup. He had a tough time.In the fourth inning, Corey Seager hit a sharp grounder to first and Vazquez wheeled to throw to second to get the lead runner. The relay from Bogaerts at shortstop came back to first, where second baseman Brock Holt was covering.Vazquez, who was in the area but a step or more away from the bag, nabbed the throw, but needed a second before realizing he had to hustle to tag the base before Seager got there.There was no damage done, but that wasn't the case in the Dodgers' four-run eighth. With Muncy on first, Seager hit a slow roller back to the mound for the 1-3 putout; Muncy headed to third, which was uncovered because of the shift.Vazquez threw behind third baseman Rafael Devers as he raced to the bag, the ball went into left and Muncy scored to make it 8-2.''With this club, you've got to continue to push on,'' Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. ''They're so offensive, anything can happen. It's a credit to our offense. We didn't give them an opportunity to come back into the game.'' TRAINER'S ROOMDodgers: Roberts said LHP Scott Alexander is still not ready to return from left forearm inflammation. He wasn't on the injured list June 11 and remains in Arizona. ''This has taken longer than expected,'' Roberts said.Red Sox: 1B Mitch Moreland (right quadriceps strain, June 8) was ''a little bit tight,'' Cora, and did not play in his rehab assignment on Friday. He's now scheduled to make an appearance for Triple-A Pawtucket on Sunday. ... RHP Nathan Eovaldi (loose body, right elbow) was scheduled to pitch to live batters on Monday.UP NEXTThe teams complete their three-game series on Sunday night, with Red Sox lefty David Price (7-2) facing All-Star Game starter Hyun-Jin Ryu (10-2).---More MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/-Sports)
Sale looks to rebound vs. Dodgers amid Red Sox winning streakFLMAbsent from the American League All-Star team for the first time since 2011, Boston Red Sox ace Chris Sale had time to ruminate during the break on a first half he described as "absolutely embarrassing." "On a team like this, they need me to be better, and I haven't been there for them," said Sale following a loss his last time out that dropped him to 3-8 on the season. "I'm standing before you as frustrated as I've ever been." The left-hander's quest at redemption begins Saturday as he takes on the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers in his first start of the second half.Sale's ERA climbed to 4.04 after he was tagged for five runs on a season-high nine hits in 5 2/3 innings against the Toronto Blue Jays on July 3. It marked the second straight start that he gave up five runs; Sale reached that total of runs allowed just once all of last season."Hopefully, when he comes back, we'll get him back on track," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said.Sale will be opposed by right-hander Ross Stripling (3-3, 3.79 ERA), who will look to get the Dodgers back on track after four straight losses.Los Angeles dropped the opener of the three-game series Friday, 8-1. The first rematch between the 2018 World Series opponents was close until Xander Bogaerts blew the game open with a three-run home run as part of a five-run seventh inning for the Red Sox."We have to come out aggressive, because we know these guys are one of the best teams in the game," Bogaerts said. "Obviously they're going to come here and try to beat us pretty bad for last year. I think it was a good way to start." The Dodgers saw Corey Seager, David Freese and A. J. Pollock all return to the lineup from stints on the injured list, but it wasn't enough. The trio combined to go 1-for-11 in the contest."It'll turn," Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts said of his team's recent skid. "We just got to continue to trust that taking good at-bats we'll score runs." The Red Sox, conversely, won their fifth straight game. Third baseman Rafael Devers picked up where he left off in the first half, homering in the contest for his 17th blast of the season and fifth in seven games this month.Christian Vazquez added a solo shot, his fifth in his last eight games, as Boston has scored at least six runs in each game during its streak and 14 of its last 16.Since taking the place of Rich Hill in the Dodgers' rotation, Stripling hasn't reached five innings in his last three starts. He's given up four runs in each of his last two outings, including a loss to the San Diego Padres on July 7.Stripling has faced the Red Sox once before, throwing five scoreless innings against them in 2016.Sale last faced the Dodgers in Game 5 of the World Series, where he closed out Boston's championship win by striking out the side in the bottom of the ninth inning. Against Los Angeles in the regular season, he is winless in two appearances (one start) to go with a 10.50 ERA.-Field Level Media
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